centennial

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The 100th anniversary of an event, or the celebration of it.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with 'the' and 'of': the centennial of the treaty.

   Patterns

   • the centennial of something
   • a centennial celebration

   The town held a parade for the centennial of its founding.

   Next year marks the centennial of the women's suffrage movement.

   The university's centennial brought alumni back from around the world.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Relating to a 100th anniversary.

   Grammar: Used before a noun: centennial celebrations, the centennial year.

   Patterns

   • centennial celebration
   • centennial anniversary
   • centennial year

   The centennial exhibition opened in the spring.

   They released a centennial edition of the novel.

   The centennial committee planned a series of concerts.

Word forms

Common combinations

centennial celebration

The centennial celebration lasted three days.

centennial anniversary

They marked the centennial anniversary with a new stamp.

centennial of

The centennial of the bridge was celebrated with fireworks.

centennial year

The centennial year brought many visitors to the museum.

Synonyms and how they differ

hundredth anniversary

A plain phrase that means the same; 'centennial' is more formal and can also be an adjective.

bicentennial

This means a 200th anniversary, not a 100th; use it only for 200 years.

Word family

centenary noun

British word for a 100th anniversary; same meaning as 'centennial'.

centennially adverb

Once every hundred years; rare.

Commonly confused: centennial or centenarian? centennial or bicentennial?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “centennial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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